Eye moving mechanism for dolls



May 30, 1950 F. M. STEVENS 2,509,373

EYE MOVING MECHANISM FOR DOLLS Filed Nov. 4, 1947 Fig! IT 2 ATTO/WYE K5 Patented May 30, 1950 EYE M'GVING MECHANESM FUR DLLS Florence M. Stevens, Aurora, lll.

Appiication November 4, 1947, Serial No. 784,003

(Cl. dii-469) i onim. l

This invention relates to dolls and more particularly to eye animating means for dolls, and the like.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved eye moving mechanism for dolls made of rubber or other deformable resilient material, mechanism being operable by pressure applied to the body of the doll and being simple in construction, reliable in operation and light in weight.

A further object oi the invention is to provide an improved eye animation mechanism for rubber dolls the like, which is inexpensive to manufacture, durable in construction and easy to operate.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claim, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a vertical cross-sectional view taken the head and upper body portion of a rubber doll provided with eye animation means constructed in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the dell structure ci Figure l, taken transversely with respect to Figure l.

Figure 3 is a side elevational detail View oi the n actuating unit of the eye animation mechanism employ in the doll structure of Figures l 2.

tio

horizontal cross-secis an enlarged aken on line of Figure 2.

enlarged ceases-tional detail View t n on line 5--5 of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail elevational View showing the end structure of a rack bar employed for operating the eye animation mechanism of Figures l and Referring to the drawing i i designates a flexible-walled hollow doll ci rubber or other suitable resilient material, the head of the doll being desated at i2 and the neck portion of the doll lo designated at The head oi the doll is med with eye openings, shown at ill, lli and rotatably secured in said eye openings by annular seaix-deiining elements i5, iii secured to the wall surface ci" the doll adjacent the respective eye openings are simulated eye balls i6, i6.

sleeve is reduced at is to denne an annular groove adapted to be interlocked inside the neck portion i3 of the doll, whereby said sleeve member will be supported in vertical position in the doll. The upper portion of sleeve member il is formed with a rear extension 2S which functions as a guard means for the eye animating link elements presently to be described.

J ournaled in the lower portion of sleeve member Il is a horizontal shaft 2i, said shaft having tapered ends which are rotatably received in respective openings 22, 22 formed in the sleeve member. At its intermediate portion, shaft 2i carries a gear 23 and a circular disc 2li preferably secured to said gear. Slidable transversely through opposed square openings 25, 25 formed in the sleeve member il is a squared rack bar 2t, whose teeth are mashed with gear '23. The rear end of rack bar ZES is `provided with a detachable tip 2l' which is secured to the bar end after said end is inserted through the associated square opening 25 of the sleeve member il during the assembly of the doll. Said tip is required to provide the necessary length of the :rack bar for operating the eye anim-ation mechanism by pressure on the front or rear Wall of the doll body, as will be presently described. In View of the limited space inside the doll body, the tip 2l must be removed when the mechanism is inserted in said body and is screwed onto the end of the rack bar after the insertion of the mechanism has been accomplished.

Pivotally connected to disc member 2d is an upwardly extending link rod The top end of link rod i3 is pivotally connected to a lJ-shaped yoke member 29 at the cross-arm 3i) of said yoke member. The ends of the side arms of yoke member 253 are respectively rigidly connected to the eyeballs it, iii ati-ii,

When the doll body is pressed either at the iront or rear thereof, the body wall thereof engages either the forward end of rack bar 25 or the rear tip 2l and causes the rack bar to move longitudinally thereof in the square guide open-4 ings 25, 25 of sleeve member il. This rotates gear 23, and disc member if is likewise caused to rotate. Link rod .758 is thereby moved downwardly and oscillated either counter-clockwise or clockwise with respect to yoke 29, as viewed in Figure 2, depending upon whether pressure is applied to the rear or the front of the doll body. The movement of rod 28 is transmitted to the eyeballs iii, i@ -by the yoke member 23, causing said eyeballs to rotate. The movement of the eyeballs is very life-like and greatly enhances the interest of the child in the doll.

While a specic embodiment of a doll eye animation mechanism has been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modications Within the spirit of the invention may occur to those Skilled in the art. rTherefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed is:

In a doll having iiexible body walls, eyeballs rotatably mounted in the head of the doll and means for rotating said eyeballs responsive to the exure of a body Wall of the doll, said means comprising a vertical, cylindrical sleeve member open at the ends thereof and formed with an annular recess interlocked with the restricted Walls of the doll dening the neck thereof, a rack bar slidably carried by the Walls of said sleeve member transversely thereof and extending therefrom for engagement with said body wall, a gear rotatable in said sleeve member meshing with said rack bar, a disc in said sleeve member rotatable with said gear, a link rod pivotally connected to said disc, and a U-shaped yoke member having its side arms rigidly connected to the eyeballs and pivotally connected at its cross arm to the end of the link rod.

FLORENCE M. STEVENS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNILED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date Re. 19,657 Bowers July 30, 1935 1,289,687 Davidson Dec. 31, 1918 2,218,044 Marquis Oct. 15, 1940 

